Family and neighbors of Marion Mandel, a 69-year-old city woman killed in a pedestrian accident Wednesday night on Lincoln Street, recalled a sweet woman whose personality was calming.

Ms. Mandel lived a short walk from where she was struck and killed in the area of 245 Lincoln St.

Neighbors strolling by her home at 6 McKinley Road Thursday shook their heads in disbelief as they looked at Ms. Mandel's home.

“It is just tragic,” neighbor Christopher Mara said. “She was a beautiful woman. She took care of all the kids in the neighborhood.”

Ashley Corby, Ms. Mandel's oldest grandchild, said children were her grandmother's world and she described Ms. Mandel as the “most selfless and friendliest person I knew.”

“She was my shopping buddy and I always enjoyed taking her to run her errands,” Ms. Corby said. “It gave me even more of an excuse to spend time with her. I always brought my 2-year-old son along and she always mentioned how he made her day. She was never afraid to say a friendly 'hello' to a stranger no matter where we were and made a point to mention I was her granddaughter and my son, Donovan, was her great-grandson. She was such a proud grandmother.”

The accident occurred about 6:20 p.m.

Police were called to the area and found a gray Infiniti i30 stopped in the north travel lane of Lincoln Street. Ms. Mandel was conscious and alert when officials arrived. She was rushed to UMass Memorial Medical Center — University Campus with leg, chest and head injuries.

She died about 7:10 p.m. Wednesday, police said.

“The preliminary investigation reveals that Ms. Mandel attempted to cross the roadway from east to west in front of 245 Lincoln St.,” police said. “The male operator of the Infiniti reported that he barely saw the woman to his right. He tried to avoid the collision by stopping and swerving.”

Ms. Mandel was not in the crosswalk when she was hit, police said. The driver was not identified and no citations have been issued yet. Police have interviewed witnesses and are continuing to investigate.

Gwendolyn Day, who lives a few houses down from Ms. Mandel on Ashton Street, recalled talking to Ms. Mandel at the fence line. They would chat about different things, but Ms. Mandel always brought calmness to Ms. Day.

“She had a magnetism about herself,” Ms. Day said. “Just peaceful. She was a great woman.”

In an interview last year for the Telegram's On The Job feature, Ms. Mandel's daughter Betty McKinnon recalled how her mother taught her to sew, a trade Ms. McKinnon uses regularly in her job at Village Cleaners in Uxbridge.

In a Facebook message Ms. McKinnon said, “Thank you for teaching me how to thread my first hand-stitch sewing needle. Thank you for letting me use your brand new Singer sewing machine when I was 10. I am taking that to my new shop and using it in your memory. Thank you for being my Mom, you made me what I am today.”

In a telephone interview Thursday night, Ms. McKinnon said her mother lived in the neighborhood for 45 years, and loved living there, despite the changes the area has gone through over time.

“She loved her neighbors,” Ms. McKinnon said. “She always said hi to everybody. She had a swing set in the yard for all the neighborhood kids.”

Ms. Mandel was a giving person who baby-sat for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren without hesitation, her daughter said. Ms. McKinnon said that soon after moving into the neighborhood, her mother became good friends with her neighbor, Doris Sargent. Ms. McKinnon said Ms. Sargent was heartbroken after learning of her longtime friend's death.

“She was just a real special woman,” Ms. McKinnon said.

A daughter predeceased Ms. Mandel. She leaves two daughters, a son, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren, according to Ms. McKinnon.

There have been two previous fatal pedestrian accidents on Lincoln Street since Nov. 22, 2011, when a man was fatally struck in the area of 560 Lincoln St. A woman was killed on Nov. 26, 2011, near 148 Lincoln St.

“Certainly it is a tragedy that we've had this third fatality,” District 2 City Councilor Philip P. Palmieri said. “This is an issue throughout the city. Tragically, we have suffered immeasurably on Lincoln Street.”

Mr. Palmieri said he will speak to police and Department of Public Works officials about enforcement and more signage directing people to one of the 32 crosswalks on Lincoln Street. The crosswalks were repainted last year, he said.

Police Chief Gary J. Gemme said it is a challenge to get people to use the crosswalks. Education is the best way to increase pedestrian safety, he said, adding that citing people for jaywalking isn't the most effective strategy.

Police resources will be directed to Lincoln Street and the area will be the location of Traffic Division stings aimed at pedestrian safety.

Since 2009 the department has taken part in Operation Safe Cross, a sting that cites drivers who don't stop for pedestrians in crosswalks. Police officials said that while the recent fatal accidents on Lincoln Street were not in crosswalks, they believe the sting enhances safety.

Last year 1,681 citations were issued to drivers who didn't stop for pedestrians in crosswalks. Of those, 362 were issued on Lincoln Street, police statistics show. There were six pedestrian fatalities in 2011, four last year.